


i like us better when we're intertwined

by uneventfulhouses



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Watcher Entertainment
Genre: Blow Jobs, Cunnilingus, F/M, M/M, Multi, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 10:28:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23849707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uneventfulhouses/pseuds/uneventfulhouses
Summary: He’s scrolling through his phone for something to do when a hand presses on his shoulder. He expects it to be Ryan, but pink fingernails tell him it isn’t. He looks over his shoulder to find Mari looking at him, her face close enough that he can see each one of her eyelashes and every freckle that dusts the bridge of her nose.“Hey,” she says. “Are you going to come to bed?”Shane raises his eyebrows. “I’m fine on the couch—”“Shane,” she says, cutting him off. She rescinds her hand, leaning against the seatback of the couch. “Come on, get the light. You can come sleep with us. There’s plenty of space.”Not at all against his will, Shane gets up and shuts off the light in the living room after double checking the front door is locked. Mari takes his hand, lacing their fingers together.
Relationships: Ryan Bergara/Marielle Scott, Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej, Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej/Marielle Scott, Shane Madej/Marielle Scott
Comments: 30
Kudos: 115
Collections: Buzzfeed Poly April





	i like us better when we're intertwined

**Author's Note:**

> ahhhh, here we are. i've been saying i'd write these three for many many years. 
> 
> thanks to jess for betaing.
> 
> title from dua lipa's "cool".
> 
> enjoy and all that. <3

It’s about two on a Wednesday and Shane’s phone vibrates in his pocket as he’s editing a video in the Watcher office. When he pulls it out, there’s a single message from Ryan. He notices, though, it’s also been sent to Mari. Without knowing the contents of it, Shane is already smiling. 

_Two nights in a cabin, tequila, and me. Who’s in?_

Shane shakes his head; seeing Mari’s _Me!!!!_ _[heart-eyes emoji]_ come through makes him second guess tagging along, but he sends a thumbs up, and Ryan sends in a ridiculous gif of some man dancing. Shane’s still smiling to himself. 

It’s something new, this _arrangement_. 

To put it simply, Shane gets to have Ryan on the days Mari doesn’t. Which sounds custodial, and sometimes it feels as such, but for all intents and purposes, Ryan’s his boyfriend; they date and have sleepovers and do all the friend shit they used to, only now, every so often, Shane will get a dick pic instead of a meme in their text thread.

Sometimes the three of them hang out together in fairly innocuous places; they get food or head to the cinema or walk along the pier in Santa Monica. 

Some nights they’ll get a little dressed up and go downtown for drinks in establishments that don’t have sticky floors and tabletops. Nights like those, Shane finds himself a little on the outside, watching the skirt of Marielle’s dress flutter around her thighs as Ryan pulls some stupidly cute move and spins her. 

Quite honestly, Shane’s not a possessive person. Otherwise, he wouldn’t date someone who’s already in a relationship. Ryan is a needy person, so it’s only logical that he’d require romantic affection from _two_ people, instead of one. Shane—well, he could also, but as it happens, he’s generally a lazy person, and Ryan is already a handful. Besides, the only other person he wants anything from, is—

The thing is, he’s not sure he’s going to wholly enjoy hanging out with his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s insanely beautiful girlfriend in a cabin for two nights. What’ll they do? Flip a coin to see who gets to sleep with Ryan? 

No, they won’t, Shane knows, because Shane’s excellent at putting up a sturdy exterior when it comes to his emotions; he’ll let Mari have him the two nights and sleep on the couch or some shit without putting up much of a fight. 

It’s not to say that Shane doesn’t like Mari, because it’s quite the opposite. She’s a wonderful woman, full of laughter and bright light, much like Ryan is, sans the excessive poop jokes, awful mispronunciations of words, and general misunderstanding of science. She’s delightful and he likes her a lot—maybe too much; finds himself hot when he can clearly see the way she fits Ryan in a way no one else really can, in a way that not even he himself fits Ryan, and he and Ryan, admittedly, are a couple of cliché puzzle pieces. 

Another text comes through in the thread from Mari. 

_I’m excited to see you, Shane! It’s been too long._

Reading the message makes his stomach tighten. He sends off a little heart, not one for words today, and Ryan, the crass man he is, sends an eggplant and panting face emoji. Shane rolls his eyes as he closes out of the thread and gets back to work. 

Not a few minutes later, Ryan comes into the office, looking freshly showered with damp hair and glasses, carrying two cups of coffee. He sets one down on Shane’s desk, and leans over to press his mouth gently against Shane’s temple. Shane warms; it buckles through him, clumsy and rushed. When Shane looks over at Ryan, Ryan gives him a soft smile, an easy curve of his lips. Shane winks at him and that seems to appease Ryan, who gets to work. 

-:-

The weather is gorgeous on Friday, not a single cloud in the sky. Sunshine pours over them, filtering through the windows in the backseat, blocks of light shining over Shane’s thighs. 

Like usual, Ryan’s driving; Shane had offered Mari the passenger seat, even though there isn’t much room for his legs in the back. He doesn’t mind though, because he likes watching the way they interact, how Ryan reaches for her hand over the console and brings it to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. It’s saccharine, much too sweet for Shane, but he can see the way it softens her, the way it makes her sink in the passenger seat and tighten her fingers around Ryan’s. 

A match if he’s ever seen one. 

Still, when Shane looks in the rearview mirror, he catches Ryan’s big brown eyes, shining, a look he knows is just for him. 

“Alright, big guy?” Ryan asks, his voice a bit louder than the music. 

“Livin’ the dream,” Shane replies, smiling. Mari turns in her seat, detangling her hand from Ryan’s so she can reach back and set her hand on Shane’s knee. The bracelets around her wrist jingle, and her fingernails are painted a gentle, springtime pink.

“I’m really glad you’re here,” she says. Her smile is soft, eyes clear like tropical seawater. It shouldn’t strike anything inside of him, but it does; something hot and heavy and real—something he’s unable to run away from. 

“Of course. I was promised tequila after all,” he jokes. 

Mari’s laugh twinkles like starlight and Ryan’s guffaw makes Shane roll his eyes. He leans back against the door and Mari takes her hand away, but she leaves the warmth of her skin behind.

-:-

When they arrive at the cabin, it’s a few hours later. The sun is still shining though the light is a saturated gold, casting long, tired afternoon shadows. 

They make their way inside and set their bags down in the living room on the sofa. It’s nearing dinner, so while Ryan showers, Shane helps Mari with the groceries. 

They’re quiet, for the most part, with soft apologies when they bump into each other, gentle smiles when they grab for the same item. 

Marielle’s the best cook out of the three of them, and while that’s not giving much credit where it’s due, she’s actually quite good at it. She has a knack for taste, for creating. He likes the concentration of her eyebrows as she chops vegetables, the flick of her wrist as she stirs a pot. 

Shane could also say he likes the length of her legs when she reaches high for something, or the way the tip of her tongue peeks out as she struggles opening a jar of olives. 

He won’t, though, won’t even dwell on it. 

Ryan comes into the kitchen, with only a towel slung around his waist, and Shane excuses himself when their soft gentle kissing melts into something a little hotter. Ryan finds him in the living room, after, and gives him a kiss, too. 

It’s on the very forefront of his mind, as he sips his drink, that he can taste Mari on Ryan’s lips. 

That’s a bit more difficult to toss away.

-:-

After dinner, they sit on top of a blanket in the grass with drinks. Shane leans back on his palm with his legs stretched out and his ankles crossed. Ryan sits across from him, Mari at his side, leaning her head against his shoulders. Conversation has dwindled into the presence of company. Mari’s yawn breaks the quiet.

“You guys can stay up,” she says. “I’m gonna get ready for bed.” Mari stands and dusts off the backs of her thighs, raising her hands up to the sky as she stretches. Her tank top rises, and it shows off a healthy strip of flesh, flawlessly tanned. Shane glances at Ryan, and Ryan gives him a secret smile. 

Shane watches as Mari leans down for a kiss, bidding goodnight to Ryan, and then she crosses the distance towards Shane. She leans down to press her lips feather soft against Shane’s temple. “Goodnight, Shane.”

He replies in kind, and she walks inside alone. 

“You can go, Ryan. I’ll be the odd man out tonight,” Shane says, lifting his drink to his mouth, sipping, for something to do. “I’ll take the couch.”

“You’re an odd man, but—you know. Don’t say it like that.” Ryan frowns, brows furrowed. He picks at his jeans. 

“Like what? Someone’s sleeping alone, and I know you’re not going to leave her in bed by herself. That would be rude,” Shane reasons, shrugging. 

“Are you _jealous_?” 

Shane rolls his eyes. “No. But—” 

“But what? I wanted to destress this weekend with the both of you. Mari won’t mind if you came and slept with us.” 

“That’s...weird.” Shane sighs. He rolls his neck, joints cracking, like he can rid himself of the frustration beginning to build.

“It’s not. And if it is, this whole thing is weird.” 

Shane purses his lips. “It’s fine, Ry. That’s not—I sleep with you different nights. I really don’t mind.” 

“Well, I mind. Please Shane?” 

“Have you even talked to her about it?” Shane asks. 

Ryan exhales. “She likes you. And it’s just sleeping.” 

“I—”

“And—” 

“And what?” 

“What if I wanted that?” 

Shane feels his heart stir up a rhythm usually reserved for strenuous activity. “Wanted what, Ryan?” 

“That part. You … and Mari.” 

“That isn’t up to you.” 

“It’s not, but I’m just putting it on the table. You like Mari, don’t you?” 

Shane stays quiet, takes a moment to figure out exactly how he wants to answer this question. “Ryan…” 

“If you like her, and you like me, and she likes you, then—you know. It wouldn’t be weird.” 

“I feel like you don’t know how anything works. When we made this arrangement, Mari was gracious enough to share you with me. I don’t want to make things weird because—” 

“Because what?” 

“ _Because_ I don’t want to allow for a possibility to arise where I could lose you,” Shane says, slightly exasperated. “I don’t want her to change her mind and decide she doesn’t want to share you anymore because _we_ pushed too hard.” 

As Shane looks at Ryan, he can see Ryan’s features soften, the curve of his smile lessens, and his eyes glitter. He crawls across the grass, to climb on Shane’s lap, knees pressed into Shane’s hips. “You have to know at least a little that I’m not going to let that happen, right? I love you as much as I love her.” 

Shane purses his lips. Then he shrugs. 

“It’s just sleep, Shane. When I asked both of you to come here with me, it was so I could _have_ the both of you. Not take turns when the other one isn’t looking.” 

“You can’t always get what you want, Ryan. Not when other people are involved.” 

“Maybe,” Ryan says, raising his brows. “But I have Mari. And I have you, so. Track record’s in my favor, baby.”

Shane smiles, despite the turmoil sitting acidic in his stomach. Ryan leans in and Shane meets him, kissing softly underneath stars and the moon, in a field of grass on the edge of a forest, outside of a cabin. 

“I’ll go talk to her. You go get ready for bed, and I’ll come grab you. Because you know, she’s going to say it’s fine.” 

Shane sighs, but he relents, and Ryan gets up and walks into the cabin. Shane flops onto the ground and looks up at the sky. He doesn’t know why Ryan insists at all. Doesn’t understand it in the slightest, but it doesn’t seem to matter, because if Ryan wants it, he finds every which way to get it. 

-:-

After showering, Shane changes into his sleep clothes and sits on the couch in the living room, waiting for Ryan to come get him or come let him down. The bedroom door is closed, and that may as well be an answer, but he’s hoping, a little, that he doesn’t have to sleep alone. 

He’s scrolling through his phone for something to do when a hand presses on his shoulder. He expects it to be Ryan, but pink fingernails tell him it isn’t. He looks over his shoulder to find Mari looking at him, her face close enough that he can see each one of her eyelashes and every freckle that dusts the bridge of her nose.

“Hey,” she says. “Are you going to come to bed?” 

Shane raises his eyebrows. “I’m fine on the couch—” 

“Shane,” she says, cutting him off. She rescinds her hand, leaning against the seatback of the couch. “Come on, get the light. You can come sleep with us. There’s plenty of space.” 

Not at all against his will, Shane gets up and shuts off the light in the living room after double checking the front door is locked. Mari takes his hand, lacing their fingers together. He follows her into the bedroom down the hall, where Ryan’s laying in the middle of the bed without his t-shirt. It’s a toss-up as to whether or not he’s wearing pants. 

“I can’t believe you sent Mari to do your dirty work, Bergara,” Shane says, closing the bedroom door behind himself.

“I didn’t!” Ryan exclaims. “I told her if it was me, then you’d make up some dumbass excuse and martyr yourself into sleeping on the couch. No one can say no to Mar. She’s too pretty. Isn’t she, Shane?” 

Shane doesn’t dignify Ryan with a response, but Ryan’s smile looks a lot like he thinks he’s won. Mari tugs on his hand, looking up at him with her pretty eyes and inviting smile. 

“Come lay with us. If you want, we can kick Ryan out.” Mari looks him up and down, like she’s considering. “I think I can keep you warm without him,” she says, looking up at Shane with clear, sincere eyes. Shane hates the way his body reacts to that, how suddenly, the desire to touch her at her waist where her tiny tank top doesn’t cover or drag his finger over the curve of her neck, strikes him hard. His heart beats fast. 

“Hey!” Ryan exclaims. “That’s a real sweet way to say _thank you_ to the guy that made this happen in the first place.” Mari rolls her eyes, but her smile curves, unmistakably fond. Shane finds himself excessively enamored.

“Calm down, no one’s getting kicked out,” Mari says. She leaves Shane standing and climbs into bed, settling herself underneath the blanket. She looks at Shane expectantly. “Do you sleep standing up?” She quirks an eyebrow, and her tone suggests he’d better get his shit together. 

Quickly, smartly, he does, climbing into the bed on the other side of Ryan, who immediately reaches out for him. Shane holds his breath, as he lays on his back, worried if he moves, it’ll shake sense into Mari, and she’ll politely ask him to leave. 

Mari shuts the bedside light off and the room goes dark. Shane’s much too awake to fall asleep, but he isn’t necessarily trying. Ryan shifts against him, rolling onto his side to face Shane. Ryan runs his hand up Shane’s stomach, beneath his shirt, a touch that Shane knows calms Ryan for some stupid reason. It’s innocent, only the warmth of Ryan’s fingers there, right above his belly button, and Shane wills the tension in his muscles away, settling his hand on Ryan’s hip. 

After a breath, then two, then three, Shane closes his eyes and shuffles in closer to Ryan. Ryan settles into him, like he would when they’re alone, when Mari isn’t lying on the other side of Ryan’s body. But it seems like the closer Ryan gets, the closer _Mari_ gets. He’s startled when he feels the gentle touch of her hand against his. Slowly, her fingers walk the line of his forearm, resting light against his elbow, thumb brushing over the crease. Shane shivers. 

He falls asleep with Ryan breathing hot against his chest, and Mari’s fingers curled around his arm. 

When he wakes up, he’s aware he has his arm slung around Ryan’s waist, his body pressed into Shane’s chest, his stomach, ass against the front of his hips.

Sleepily, he tugs Ryan’s body closer, leaning in. His senses are aggressively assaulted when he realizes his face is pressed into unfamiliar curly hair, and his hand bumps into a breast instead of Ryan’s much flatter chest.

It’s not Ryan at all, and even though he begins to pull away, Mari’s hand circles around his wrist. He holds his breath, like he might be able to disappear. As it happens, he’s still incredibly, visibly solid.

“Shane? You awake?” Mari’s voice is soft, a whisper. A few beats of silence pass.

“Yeah,” Shane answers. He clears his throat.

Mari shuffles her body, turning underneath the grasp of his arm, closer to him than she’s ever been. Up close, she’s marvelous, eyes so clear they’re hypnotic. Shane blinks and looks down at the playful curve of her smile, before meeting her eyes. A part of Shane’s brain registers that Ryan gets to see this all the time. He wonders if Ryan’s grown used to it, or if he’s still startled by how breathtaking she is every time.

“Sleep okay?” 

“I’m so sorry, I thought you were Ryan—“ 

“Hey, it’s okay,” she says, curving her hand up his forearm. “You okay?” 

Truthfully, Shane isn’t sure he is. Part of him thinks he’s dreaming, which is shitty anyway, because Mari is _Ryan’s_ girlfriend. But she’s looking at him carefully, pressing her hand into his chest and yeah, turns out he’s just fine.

“It’s—yeah.” 

“You sure?”

Shane hums, fiddling with the hem of her tank top, where it sits against the smooth flesh of her waist. 

“I know Ryan wants us all to be—to be _together_ , and honestly, when he told me he wanted to get away, just the three of us, I thought it’d be nice to get to know you. _Intimately_.” 

Shane sucks in a breath; he rests his hand at the bottom of her spine.

“Is that something you’d like? What do you want? If your thing with Ryan is all you want, then we won’t push.” 

“And here I thought it was me and Ryan pushing,” Shane says quietly, cracking a small smile. Mari’s smile grows wide and her eyes turn into crescents. She shakes her head. 

“I mean, it was Ryan who—I didn’t think of me with you. Not immediately. Not until Ryan said he hated going back and forth like a child with divorced parents.” Mari laughs softly, and Shane can’t help but smile a little bigger. “And then I thought, well, why not the three of us? I love Ryan. I think given the chance I could love you, too.” 

The statement is so tender Shane has to close his eyes for a second. When he opens them, Mari’s still looking at him.

“Where is he?”

“I told him to go make himself busy for a bit so we could talk,” she says.

“Oh.”

“What do you think?”

Shane rolls onto his back and looks up at the ceiling. “I don’t know.”

“Like I said, Shane. It doesn’t have to be anything. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.”

“Believe me,” Shane says, “that’s not the issue at all. You’re every bit a cup of tea I’d—” Shane hums. “Best not get too involved in this metaphor.”

Mari laughs, her breath warm as she leans into his shoulder.

“You’re doing this for you, right? Not because of Ryan?”

“I’m doing this because of Ryan, sure,” she says. “But in a sense that he’s given me the idea of an option I hadn’t quite thought of. Shane—I came here because I wanted to see you, too. That’s all me.” Slowly, Mari presses her hand against Shane’s chest, sliding further up so she can draw her thumb along the line of his jaw.

“It feels like I’m doing something wrong,” Shane admits, reaching up to take her hand in his. “To want you, even though you’re—expressing that it’s okay. It’s—you and Ryan—”

“Do you want Ryan to be here right now?”

“No—he’ll be insufferable about this. I’m—I’m not very good with expressing emotions. So.” Shane sighs. “I don’t know, Mari.”

“Why don’t we see how the weekend goes. We have all of today and a bit of tomorrow. We can see where it takes us. But—don’t feel like you have to be reserved with your actions. Understand that I’m inviting you to look at me. To touch me if you’d like.”

Shane turns to look at her. “You’re going to ruin me before the day’s over. I can feel it.”

“Maybe,” she says, her smile flirtatious. Coquettish. “But it’d only be because you’d want me to.”

“Fuck,” Shane mutters. Mari giggles as she sits up. 

“Let’s go find Ryan,” she says, turning away from him. Before he lets her go, he catches her hand and pulls her back to him.

“Just—just let him wait for a minute.” He looks up at her, and she considers it, considers him, before laying back down against the bedsheets, pressing her body into his side.

It’s only for a handful of moments, quiet cuddling, Mari with her arm slung around Shane’s waist, her fingers pressing against his ribs, and Shane with his arm around Mari’s shoulders, drawing shapes into her arm. He could fall asleep like this, he realizes, tucked in between Mari’s delicate features and the hard press of Ryan’s body. He could, and he would enjoy it, love it even.

The moment is short-lived though, when Shane watches Ryan walk into the bedroom, a delighted smile on his face. Ryan mouths _I told you_ , and Shane rolls his eyes.

“You lazies ever gonna get outta bed?” Ryan asks, and Mari turns to look at Ryan.

“You finish breakfast?” she asks. Shane can feel her toes against his calf, nudging against him underneath the blankets.

“Breakfast? You didn’t tell me to make breakfast,” Ryan mutters, pouting. “I’ve been fucking around on my phone for the last half an hour.”

“Due diligence,” Shane says, laughing. “Come here, babe.” 

Mari reaches out an arm and makes a grabby hand, and in spectacular, childlike fashion, Ryan drapes his body over their waists.

“You’re heavy, Ryan, get off,” Mari grumbles.

Ryan huffs, but he tucks himself behind Mari, reaching over her waist to press his palm against Shane’s stomach.

“Everything okay in here?” Ryan looks at Shane over Mari’s head. Shane nods.

“All good, baby,” Mari says. “We had a nice talk.”

“About what?”

“Exactly what you wanted,” Mari says. “We should probably make something to eat. And by _we_ , I guess I mean _me_. Because you dudes are useless.”

Shane grins and Ryan wheezes, and Mari slithers away from between them. 

Ryan takes the opportunity to slide into Mari’s place and drapes himself over Shane’s chest. Shane leans up to kiss him and Ryan falls into it, hitching a thigh over Shane’s hip, coaxing Shane on top of him. Shane goes willingly.

Pinned underneath Shane, Ryan loops his arms around Shane’s neck. They kiss slowly, softly, easing into a nice pre-breakfast make-out. 

Ryan pulls back, touching both his palms to Shane’s cheeks. 

“Did you guys really talk?” he asks, blinking up at Shane. He looks worried, creases in his forehead, his mouth curved into something like a frown.

“Yeah. We’re gonna see what happens. We’re not going to force—”

“Did you kiss her?” Ryan interrupts.

“No…not yet, anyway.”

Ryan hums. “Okay. Just don’t get lost up there, okay?” Ryan combs back Shane’s hair with his fingers. “We want this, Shane. With you. We both do.”

“For someone who harps on about communication, you could’ve told me about this little plan, Ry,” Shane mumbles. 

“Why? You’d’ve bolted the second I said something. Easier to do it where you can’t run away,” he counters. “Come here.”

Shane leans down to kiss Ryan again, a little more this time, deeper, intense, a kiss that has Ryan shivering underneath him, shifting his hands to search for Shane’s flesh underneath his clothing. 

While Shane would _love_ to entertain morning sex, when Ryan is still so soft from sleep, not quite ready for the day yet, Shane can hear Mari in the kitchen, the door is wide open, and he doesn’t want to be rude.

“Babe,” Shane whispers against Ryan’s mouth. “We can’t right now.”

“You started it, asshole,” Ryan mutters, clutching his fingers into Shane’s t-shirt and lifting his hips so Shane can feel what he’s done to him. 

It doesn’t make a difference, because Shane pulls away, sitting on his heels in between the spread of Ryan’s knees. Ryan, though, isn’t deterred, when he dips his hands underneath the waistband of his sleep pants to grope himself.

“You’re such a brat,” Shane tells him, and Ryan makes a face at him. “Get in the shower.”

“You’re no fun,” Ryan retorts, sighing heavily.

Shane rolls his eyes but Ryan climbs off the bed and leaves the bedroom. After a moment, Shane hears the shower start.

-:-

In the kitchen, Mari’s digging through the modest collection of groceries they’d brought. She pulls out the carton of eggs and some veggies. 

“Oh, good, you can help,” she says, looking at him when he steps into the small kitchen space. 

“At your service,” Shane says easily. She smiles, big and bright. 

So, they make breakfast together. Nothing spectacular. Just a few cracked eggs and some toast. Mari asks him about his projects for Watcher, about his family. He answers what he can with jokes and anecdotes, trying his hand at making her laugh. 

He finds he loves when she laughs, loves it even more when she calls him an idiot and says, “It’s really a no-brainer that you’re ass over tits for Ryan.” She flashes a smile that shines with something like fondness.

That clumsy warmth returns; it’s always been a feeling reserved for Ryan, something that happens when Ryan gets soft around the edges and expresses affection in a way that Shane isn’t used to with him. But it seems to extend to Mari, her feather soft touches, and glittering eyes. 

Shane is leaning against the counter, right in front of the cabinets, when Mari presses her body against him, reaching past him with a hand on his shoulder. 

Like it’s second nature, Shane sets a hand against her waist, where her shirt has ridden up from the reach. Mari sets the glass down on the counter and sets her other hand on his other shoulder. Her curly hair is messy from sleep, springing over her forehead. He reaches up to move the curls from her eyes. 

“Hi,” she says to him, blinking her eyes, looking up through her eyelashes. Shane smiles at her and she licks her lips. “Is this a moment? Are we having a moment? Feels like a mo—” 

Shane ducks down to kiss her, and she makes a soft, breathy sound against his mouth. He curls his arms around her waist and brings her in closer; she sets her hands on his cheeks. He backs her up against the counter across the small kitchen space and she moans lowly, sweetly. Wanting to feel her properly, he makes the decision to reach down to grab her by the backs of her thighs and set her on the countertop. 

Mari says his name against his mouth and his mind reels. His flesh grows hot; all he wants is her, the taste of her mouth, the heat of her body, the press of her thighs against his hips. He wants to ruin the soft curve of her neck. She hooks her legs around his hips, drawing him closer. The heels of her feet dig in at the bottom of his spine with how close they’re pressed.

With Mari’s hands in his hair, his hands drift up her waist to her chest, touching her breasts with the wide expanse of his hands. She moans, sending a jolt of electricity through his body, and he can feel himself reacting; he’s wanted her for a while, a secret, clandestine coveting. Now that he gets to touch her, have her, he feels like his brain might explode. So instead of thinking about it, he shuts off the logical part of his mind, and lets himself fall into her skin, the lovely sound of her breathtaking sighs. 

With one hand against the counter, he rests the other against the bottom of her spine. It’s almost funny; she kisses like Ryan does, with breathless expanses, touching feverishly, but there is something delicate about the flick of her tongue, about the way she moans his name into his mouth, the way she grips her fingers into his back. 

“Shane, God, I need—” Mari cuts herself off, scraping her hands up Shane’s back and taking his shirt with it. He takes it off for her, no time for himself to feel self-conscious with the fact that he looks nothing like Ryan. “You’re so fucking hot. I can’t—I want—God, I want, Shane, _Shane_ ,” she huffs, biting against his bottom lip. She touches her hands to his shoulders, to his chest, gripping her fingers into the flesh between his ribs.

“Mari,” Shane whispers.

“Yeah?” Mari answers, pulling back to look at him.

“I—” He kisses her, fully, indelicately— _dirty_. 

“Oh, wow.” 

Shane and Mari break apart; Shane finds Ryan leaning against the entryway, looking at them like he’s stoned. Shane steps back, but Mari’s got a hold on him. He looks at her.

“Breakfast is ready,” she says to Ryan, looking up at Shane. “We made—um.” 

“Eggs and toast, babe,” Shane says, directed at Ryan, but he’s still looking at Mari.

Ryan moves around them, grabbing plates from the cupboard to the left of them, forks from a drawer to their right. He pulls three mugs from the dishrack next to the sink. 

And—

There’s a tiny bit of guilt that washes over Shane, like maybe they shouldn’t have, but Ryan turns around and presses a hand to Shane’s shoulder as he pulls creamer from the fridge. 

“Do you guys want to eat outside? It’s really nice,” Ryan says. 

“Yeah,” Shane answers, glancing at Ryan. “Sounds good.” 

“I can grab the blanket for the grass,” Mari says, pulling her legs from around Shane’s waist, dropping them on either side of the counter. She grips Shane’s shoulders as she lets him go. Shane steps away, and Mari hops off the counter, leaving the kitchen. Shane leans back against the countertop. 

“You look real tense, buddy,” Ryan says, his tone pointed. 

“I just—”

“Don’t ‘just’. It’s okay.” Ryan bends over to pick up Shane’s shirt. “Here, Casanova.” He gives Shane a bright, sincere smile and Shane feels, momentarily, like he can breathe. 

Shane tugs on his t-shirt.

“Come here, dummy.” Ryan sets a hand on the back of Shane’s neck and pulls him down for a kiss.

-:-

The three of them lounge around after breakfast with the TV playing something random. Shane sits in the armchair; Ryan’s got a corner of the sofa and Mari lays with her head on Ryan’s lap. 

She gets up, and then comes back, sitting next to Ryan. But after a few minutes, she laughs, jumping up and saying, “Oh, Shane, look at this!” 

She comes to show him a video, and then makes herself a seat almost half on top of him. He indulges in her rating game for various Tik Toks while Ryan naps on the couch.

After lunch, the three of them venture out into the backyard. It’s another day of gorgeous weather, too good to pass up. After Ryan’s slathered Shane with sunscreen, Shane lays out in the grass underneath the sunshine, with a book he’s been meaning to read. His attention, though, is stolen away, much too easily, but it isn’t at all like he’s put up much of a fight.

Through the lens of his sunglasses, Shane observes as Ryan does a miraculous number of pushups on the deck, t-shirt soaked with sweat. Mari’s dressed in a sports bra and tight pants, doing a series of complicated moves on a yoga mat on the other side of the deck.

Like Shane said, he’s been _meaning_ to read his book, but he can’t help but watch Ryan and Mari be so active.

Music plays gently, something Mari’s turned on; it’s chill, like the lo-fi beats Shane listens to while he putters around his apartment. Ryan’s since moved onto squats, and Shane sort of wonders if Mari has it out for Shane; with the way she bends and moves, he can’t quite look away, instead allowing himself to watch the way she bends forwards onto her forearms and lifts herself into a modified handstand. Upside down, she looks at him and winks.

Shane’s not one to blush much, but he has the decency to here, considering he’s been caught staring.

“Do you want to come try?” Mari calls to him when she stands at her full height. And even then, she only reaches his chest if he is standing next to her.

Ryan’s moved on to jumping rope, but Shane can tell his attention has become unfocused. Ryan looks at Mari and then at Shane, and then he grins. Shane sets down his book and picks himself up from the beach towel.

He steps up onto the deck and she gives him a soft smile.

“You seemed…curious, was all,” she says to him, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

“You’re very distracting,” Shane admits, smiling back at her.

The smile she wears blossoms into a grin, wide and suggestive, though she doesn’t press the conversation anymore. Shane can feel the pressure of Ryan’s eyes, can hear the thwack of his jump-rope—it doesn’t falter. Shane doesn’t look at him, keeping his eyes on Mari.

“I think you’d be good to start with a tree pose. How’s your balance?”

Shane laughs and shrugs. “About as good as anyone’s.”

In the subsequent moments, Mari poses Shane, her hands all over his body as she fixes his posture, places his hands correctly, shifts his hips.

“Like this,” she says, and then proceeds to touch him in various places.

It’s all semi-erotic, an extension of that morning’s blatant invitation, the making out in the kitchen. He manages not to get hard each time she presses her hand low against his belly, though he’s helpless to a shiver here and there.

When she moves him into downward facing dog, Ryan suddenly gets noisy.

“I didn’t know you were so flexible, Shane,” he says, leering at him when Shane looks up. And of course, he’s met with a sight of his own, Ryan shirtless and dripping sweat, flushed with California heat. He glistens, and it’s annoying, so Shane looks down at the mat, and focuses on Mari’s hands on his hips instead, which, admittedly, isn’t much better.

When Shane looks up again, Ryan’s gotten low. He starts up his push-ups again; Ryan’s biceps bulge, and he breathes this side of too hard. Ryan keeps his eyes on Shane, even grins as he slowly lowers and raises himself over and over again. His attention shifts slightly; he watches Ryan, but his mind registers the touch of Mari’s hand. She’s so gentle, moving from his hips to the bottom of his spine. He can feel her drape herself against his back, sliding her hands up so they rest on his shoulder blades, pushing down so he keeps form.

Shane’s arms tremble.

“Doin’ okay, Shane?” Mari asks, her voice light, a tone of teasing.

“Yeah, Shane, you okay?” Ryan’s voice comes, jeering. In some sort of act of—Shane doesn’t even know what—Ryan switches up his push-ups; effortlessly, he does them one-armed and Shane huffs.

“You’re annoying,” Shane hisses.

“Me?” Ryan says, grinning like a shark, toothy and dangerous. Ryan’s gaze moves away from Shane, and he can imagine he’s sharing some telepathic look with Mari. Shane feels like he’s been ambushed.

Mari moves away from him, gives him a gentle smack on the ass.

“Up, honey,” she instructs, but Shane drops to his knees instead.

“You guys—” Sitting back on his heels, Shane watches Ryan for a moment, before looking over his shoulder to see Mari standing with her hip cocked, hand on her waist.

“I want to watch a movie,” she says. “Go get cleaned up.”

And then she walks into the house and Shane looks after her. He can’t decide if she’s always walked with that particular sway or if it’s due to the nature of the situation at hand.

“Fuck,” Ryan breathes.

“What?” Shane asks, turning his attention to Ryan.

“It’s—usually, when she says she wants to watch a movie, it’s cause she—you know.” Ryan wiggles his eyebrows.

“ _Ryan_.”

“It’s not going to happen. Not now, anyway.”

“Is this some kind of weird foreplay? Do you work out and then fuck about it after?” Shane huffs.

Ryan snickers, cocking an eyebrow. “Sometimes. Shower sex is great, babe.”

“I’m aware.”

Ryan crawls forward, until he’s touching knees with Shane. Shane looks at him; he’s hot, sweaty, flushed, and ridiculously gorgeous. Shane finds it devastatingly unfair.

“She wants you,” Ryan says lowly. “Can I tell you something?”

Shane sighs, biting the inside of his mouth. “What?”

“Once,” Ryan starts, reaching to fist his hand in Shane’s t-shirt. “Once, she talked me off.”

“Okay?”

“About you.”

“Excuse me?” Shane says, pulling back, but Ryan’s hand keeps him close.

“Yeah.”

“ _Ryan_.”

“She was riding me, and—and she asked me, ‘Wouldn’t you love it, if Shane were here right now?’”

Shane swallows thick, looking towards the doorway; Mari’s long gone, but he feels like she can hear them. He looks back at Ryan; he licks his lips, and Shane swallows again.

“What did you tell her?”

“I said ‘yes’, and then I blew my load. What do you think?”

Despite the heat of the conversation, Shane laughs. “Jesus Christ.”

“You can imagine, she wouldn’t say something like that, if she didn’t want to fuck you.”

And then Ryan stands up, and walks into the cabin, leaving Shane half-hard and alone.

-:-

They do watch a movie. In fact, they watch several. Both Ryan and Mari coax Shane to share the couch with them. He lands in the middle, Ryan on his left, legs over Shane’s lap. Mari sits on his right, curled underneath his arm.

It feels easy, too easy. He’s rolling with it, he is, because frankly, there isn’t much else to do. If he didn’t want it so badly, he could say no, wedge some distance between the close press of all their bodies, and yet, he likes Mari’s hand on his chest, his fingers tangled with Ryan’s. It’s a Saturday afternoon, but it all feels very Sunday-morning.

Easy.

-:-

They don’t dress up for dinner, but that doesn’t mean anything when Mari and Ryan walk around with faces like theirs. Mari’s in a pair of shorts, showing off her long, long legs. Ryan’s in a pair of tight jeans, classically ripped at the knees. Shane brushes his hands down the front of his button-up, a little self-conscious.

Dinner is an easy affair. They drink wine and chat. It’s a lot more fun to tease Ryan when Shane’s got Mari’s wickedly playful wit on his side.

With dishes piled in the sink for the morning, the three of them retreat to the living room, freshly topped off wine glasses in hand. Mari’s music plays, thumping and sizzling. Shane isn’t paying attention to the words, but paired with the wine, it makes him feel loose. He’s lost the train of the conversation, but his ears perk when Ryan starts to laugh. 

“If Mari’s _baby_ , and I’m _babe,_ ” Ryan says from the armchair, looking at Shane, “what does that make you?”

It’s a silly question, but Shane nearly spits out his wine when Mari says, “ _Daddy_ ,” with wickedly gleaming eyes. Ryan cackles, throwing back his head, almost spilling his drink.

Sitting next to Shane on the couch, Mari knocks her toes into Shane’s knee, grinning at him. Her posture is relaxed, nearly laying across the couch, sitting up against the arm.

“Jesus Christ, you guys,” Shane mutters, but he can’t help but grin. “Just Shane is fine, thank you.”

“You know, _Shane_ ,” Ryan says, his voice dropped slightly, enough of a change for Shane to notice. Ryan takes a drink from his glass and sets it down on the coffee table. “I think you should kiss Mari.”

“I don’t think you get to make that kind of call, Ry,” Shane says, leveling Ryan with a look. But it’s Mari who leans forward, setting her hand on Shane’s shoulder, drawing away his attention.

“It’s okay,” she says. “I think I’d like it if you did. If this morning was anything to go off of, anyway.”

For a second, Shane looks between the both of them. Ryan gives him a heavy-lidded, curious gaze, whereas Marielle smiles, the picture of innocuity. _Innocence_.

Shane knows better than that.

“Come on, Shane. I want to see,” Ryan coaxes. “It’s not like you don’t want to.”

Ryan’s absolutely correct, he absolutely does want to kiss Mari. It’s not a difficult thing to want; she looks up at him with clear green eyes, the frame of her eyelashes long and black from her makeup. Her hair sits in wild curls, hair he knows will get caught around his fingers; he’s overcome with the desire to touch it, to feel it, to find out if she makes a little noise if he pulls on it.

“Come here,” Mari beckons, moving to sit closer to him. Shane’s hyper aware of Ryan’s gaze, can feel it hot on his skin, and yet, he diverts all the attention he can onto Mari, the way she slides a hand up his chest, resting her fingers against the back of his neck. Shane leans down and slants his mouth against Mari’s; her soft sigh sends a small shiver up his spine.

“Like you mean it, Shane,” comes Ryan’s voice, stern and completely without nonsense. Generally, if anything, it’s not usually _Ryan_ making the calls; he’s usually too desperate for something like this, but here, apparently, Ryan gets to voice his desires, call the shots, and Shane’s a victim to it, because all he wants to do is ruin Mari, and then subsequently, Ryan.

So, like he means it, yeah. He sets his hands on Mari’s waist, lifts her small frame to tug her on top of him, moving with ease as he does so because she’s so small. Mari spreads her thighs and sits across his lap, her arms circling Shane’s shoulders.

He kisses her more, kisses her better, with the same want he’d had for her that morning in the kitchen, earlier that afternoon on the deck, and every day before this moment, when he’d squashed the little ache of desire to run his hands up the smooth expanse of her thighs. He has the freedom to do so now, so he does, slowly, sliding his palms up her legs to grip her hips. The fabric of her shorts bunches underneath his hands.

“Better,” he hears Ryan say. “Don’t you think that’s better, Mar?”

She breaks the kiss to answer him, whispering a soft, “Yeah,” against Shane’s lips.

Shane pulls her back in; open-mouthed and messy, sliding his tongue alongside hers. Mari’s fingers thread through his hair, and she moans against his mouth when his hands reach around her hair to touch her ass, pulling her closer against him.

“Is this okay?” he asks her. She nods.

“Take this off for me,” Mari says, tugging at his shirt. Shane looks at Ryan, who just raises his eyebrows, and back to Mari, who bites down on her lip. Shane reaches for the hem of his shirt, pulls it off over his head, and tosses it beside him on the couch.

“Ryan,” Mari says, “come here, babe.”

Standing up, Ryan drains the rest of his wine before crossing the short distance of the living room. He sits beside Shane on the couch.

Up close, Shane can see the flush along Ryan’s cheeks, soft and sweet, the way he looks between Mari and Shane with heat in his gaze. 

“Look at you,” Mari whispers, directed at Ryan. “You love this, don’t you?” Mari doesn’t move from where she’s sitting on top of Shane, but she leans over, one hand in Shane’s hair and the other drawing Ryan in for a kiss.

Shane’s whole body catches fire watching; they fall into each other so easily, like maybe they’d invented the concept of pressing mouths together, like they, personally, have discovered the inherent pleasure of kissing. He can see the way Mari’s eyelashes flutter closed, the way her tongue slips into Ryan’s mouth. Ryan isn’t shy with her body; he reaches a hand up to palm her breast and she moans, grinding down on Shane’s lap.

Shane grunts; he’s half-hard underneath the heat of her cunt. Confronted with the expanse of her neck, he leans forward to kiss her flesh, use his teeth and tongue to mark.

There’s something incredibly thrilling about hearing his name drip from Mari’s mouth as she presses the sound of it into Ryan’s lips while she kisses him. Even more, when she grinds down again, fingers tight in Shane’s hair.

“Mari, Mari,” Ryan groans beside him, and coupled with Mari’s hips canting against his, and the sound of a zipper being lowered, it doesn’t take much longer for him to be fully hard, lifting his hips to meet Mari’s, his hands still grasping at her hips.

She pulls back and he can see everything; Ryan’s shirt rucked up to his chest, Mari’s fingers curled around his dick, stroking slowly, much too teasingly to get Ryan anywhere but frustrated. He’s already there, groaning, whispering, “Please, please,” to no one in particular.

Mari turns her attention back to Shane then, leaning in to kiss him, bite at his bottom lip before she says, “I want your mouth on me, Shane.”

Shane licks his lips, nodding. “We should—we should probably go to bed, then,” he suggests.

Mari smiles, kissing him once, quick and chaste, before leaning into Ryan to do the same. Then she stands up, leaving the living room so it’s Ryan and Shane on the couch, sitting and staring at each other.

“Fuck, _fuck_ ,” Shane whispers.

“We’re trying, man,” Ryan says with a wolfish grin, hand on the back of Shane’s neck to drag him down for a kiss, hot and searing when Ryan slips him some tongue. Shane touches his hand down Ryan’s chest, his tense stomach, drawing a single finger down the length of Ryan’s cock just to feel it twitch.

“Go,” Shane says against his mouth. “I’ll be there in a second.”

“You’re not—” Ryan starts.

“I’m coming, I promise,” Shane interrupts.

“Okay,” Ryan breathes. “Okay.”

Shane lets him go, sitting back on the couch. Ryan stands, pulling his shirt off, and stepping out of his jeans and underwear. Shane sucks in a breath; he’ll never get tired of looking at Ryan naked, the length of his body, all soft edges and defined lines. Shane touches his hand to Ryan’s hip.

“Don’t get lost, Shane,” Ryan reminds him, kissing him once more before disappearing down the hallway.

All he needs is a second, a few maybe, to collect himself, to figure himself out, to come to terms that he’s going to be wedging himself between Ryan _and_ Marielle. Both of whom are dangerously attractive; he feels like the second anything starts, he might explode.

Shane finishes the last of his wine and stands up from the couch. 

When Shane makes it to the bedroom, Mari’s still in her clothes, but she’s lying beside Ryan, kissing him while she jerks him off steadily. He lets himself watch, just to observe the ease of which they touch each other. Ryan slithers a hand up the front of her blouse; Mari makes a sweet sound, arching her back. Shane rubs his palm against himself, just to relieve the pressure.

Ryan looks at him from across the bedroom, heavy-lidded eyes as he gasps Mari’s name. He’s dripping all over his belly; Mari’s knuckles are shiny from it.

“Shane,” Ryan says, his voice strained and raw, “come here.” At Ryan’s insistence, Shane steps further into the bedroom, standing at the edge of the bed, unsure of where to fit himself. Mari looks at him.

“Hi, honey,” she says. “Get undressed for me.”

Shane does as he’s asked, popping the button of his pants and lowering the zipper. He pushes the fabric of his pants and his underwear over his narrow hips; his cock springs up towards his belly, and he steps out of his clothes, running his fingers through his hair.

Mari rakes her eyes up and down his body, not for a second forgetting about her grip on Ryan’s cock; he’s gasping into her throat, and she’s grinning at Shane.

She beckons him with a quick nod of her head, and he gets on the bed, crawling up to her.

“Get me out of my shorts,” she says. “And then I want you to get me off with your tongue. Ryan said you’re real good at it.”

“Oh, did he?” Shane says, looking over at Ryan, who’s breathing helplessly, but he’s smiling. 

He eases gentle hands over the expanse of her legs, her thighs, making quick work of the button and zipper. Shane hooks his fingers in the waistband, dragging them down her thighs and over her knees. She lifts off her shirt and lays back on the bed, and good God, all she’s got on is the lace of her panties and she’s incredible. She’s tiny, but her legs run for miles. He takes his time looking at her, at the way she seems so unnerved to have both him and Ryan marvel at her. Mari looks down at Shane, green eyes like sea glass, eyelashes long and flirty. She’s gorgeous, body long, spine arched just enough to accentuate the lines of her collarbones, the curve of her breasts. Her waist tapers in and flares into the width of her hips. 

Ryan, lying beside her, gets a hand around himself, underneath the collective bouts of noisy breathing they’re doing, the slick sound of Ryan stroking himself is almost distracting. Shane spares a glance at the way Ryan lays so long over the bedsheets, how he focuses the grip of his hand just underneath the head. God, he’s so wet. Shane could reach over and just lick him clean.

Instead, Shane spreads open Mari’s legs, kissing the soft, delicate skin of her inner thighs. She draws up her knees and he works his way up to her hips, licking and nipping at the crease. She sighs, fingers threading through his hair. The slick sound of Ryan getting himself off begs for his attention, so he looks, and at some point, Mari’s hand has covered Ryan’s. The image of it sends a shock through his body.

Shane takes his time, hot, open mouthed kisses over Mari’s tense stomach, his hands touching her breasts, nipples hard against his palms. She moans, her back arching and he gets his mouth on her, laving his tongue over one hardened nipple, sucking gently before he bites. Her fingers dig into his hair, and he closes his eyes, touching one hand to the curve of her waist, the other palming the curve of her breast, rolling her nipple between his fingertips.

“Oh,” she breathes, fingers clutching at the back of his head. Shane switches his attention, lowering his body against Mari; she rolls her hips against his stomach. He kisses his way back down her body. Shane sets his hands on her thighs, widening the spread of her legs. With his mouth pressed into the soft flesh of her thigh, he presses a finger against her, over the soft lace of her pink underwear. She whimpers, just a little, and Shane smiles; he realizes that the color of her underwear matches the color of her nails.

He teases her, rubbing his thumb against her through the damp lace; her hips shift, and she breathes, “Shane, please.”

Rather than take the panties off, he hooks a finger and pushes them to the side. He licks over her cunt, tasting her before setting his tongue against her clit, flat and strong, licking in quick strokes. She dissolves quickly into soft moans, muffled, he can see, by the way Ryan licks into her mouth.

Gently, he sucks at her clit, just enough to make her hips jolt, for her to whine his name into Ryan’s mouth. Shane draws his hand over the inside of Ryan’s thigh, grasping at his balls as he lowers his mouth to get his tongue inside her.

“Fuck, _fuck_ , Shane,” she breathes, her fingers tightening in his hair. “Oh, _God_.”

He grinds his hips into the bed, groaning against her, licking into her, taking his hand away from Ryan to slip a couple fingers inside of her, focusing his tongue against her clit. Her legs shake as he strokes, curling his fingers just enough to—

“Ah, _oh_ , Shane—wait, wait—” She tugs on his hair.

Shane draws back from between Mari’s thighs, looking up at her. She takes in a shaky breath, touching her hand to his cheek.

“What—”

“Nothing’s wrong,” she says with a playful smile, curved at the edges, hazy, though. “I want you to fuck me while I blow Ryan. We just need to fix ourselves.”

Shane’s cock twitches between his thighs, and his heart nearly gives out; he reaches down between his legs to stroke himself.

“Fuck,” Ryan whispers, watching him. “There’s no way I’m gonna watch this and not come immediately.” He looks at Mari, curving his hand against her jaw, his thumb swiping over his bottom lip, so reverent. Shane tries not to think of all the times Ryan’s probably done that, tries not to imagine that Mari sucks in a shaky little breath every time when he touches her, like she’s done just now. Her smile is soft, glowing.

“Ryan, you stay lying down. I’m gonna—” Mari sits up and climbs over Ryan’s legs, settling herself on her hands and knees. Ryan, in a moment of delicate sweetness, reaches down to brush the hair out of Mari’s eyes. She leans forward to kiss his belly.

Shane takes a deep breath, moving to kneel behind Mari. Looking down, he can see Ryan’s lazy grin as he lies on his back, his hair falling messy over his forehead.

“She likes it hard,” Ryan says. Mari laughs against Ryan’s belly, looking at Shane from over her shoulder.

“Come on, Shane, I wanna feel you,” she says, wiggling her ass at him. He touches his hands to her back, at the bottom of her spine before he presses his palms to her ass. He drags the elastic of her panties over her hips and down her thighs. She lifts her knees to help him take them off.

With a thumb, he teases at her opening, slipping it in just enough to hear her whine around a mouthful of Ryan’s cock. She’s off Ryan with a slick _pop_.

“Shane, for fuck’s sake, stop teasing,” she says, whipping her head around to look at him. Her curls fly and settle, caught in her eyelashes. Her green eyes are darkened here; she bites down on her bottom lip.

“Alright, alright,” Shane relents, leaning up to his full height. With a strong grip on her hips, he positions her, pushing apart her knees with his own. He presses his left hand heavy against the small of her back, her spine curves, her back arching. He sets himself against her cunt, rubbing the tip of his cock against her, pressing against her clit. She pushes back against him and he slides in slowly. Mari’s eyes flutter closed, and her jaw drops; she moans, long and loud, cursing when he makes his full way in, the front of his hips settled against her ass.

“ _Shane_ , Christ,” she sighs. Her body trembles, and Shane tries to give her a moment, but it’s difficult with how good she feels. “God, it’s like I can feel you in my throat.”

“Pretty sure that’s Ryan, baby,” he says to her. Ryan laughs as he pets her hair.

“You good, Mar?” Ryan asks. She nods, pushing her hips back against Shane.

“Come on, please,” Mari whispers. Ryan groans, and he wishes he could see her mouth around Ryan’s cock, the way her lips would wrap around the head of him. He slides his hand up the smooth expanse of her back, taking notice of the gentle tan lines and hints of pretty freckles. 

Shane draws his hips back and fucks in slowly, with strong strokes inside of her. Her back arches and the sounds she makes around Ryan are sloppy; Shane keeps his eyes on Ryan’s face, the blissed out expressions he makes as he groans.

“Come here,” Shane says to Ryan, leaning over Mari’s tiny body to meet Ryan for a kiss, wet and messy, desperate when Ryan breathes Mari’s name into Shane’s mouth. Shane can taste the shape of it, the heady neediness; Ryan’s close now. 

Ryan gets his fingers into Shane’s hair, pulling hard. Shane fucks Mari harder, shifting his hand to her hip to keep her steady as he drives his hips against her. She cries out, chanting a quick string of, “Yes, yes, yes, _yes_.”

She feels unimaginable; she’s hot and wet, snug around his cock like she’s greedy for it.

“You close, Ry?” Shane murmurs against Ryan’s mouth. He nods, gasping into Shane’s mouth as he comes, shaking underneath Mari. Ryan pulls his hand from Shane’s hair to touch Mari’s, grasping her curls in his fist as she licks him clean. 

“Fuck, Mar, Jesus,” Ryan breathes. 

“Love you,” she mumbles into Ryan’s hip, reaching back her hand to clutch Shane’s forearm. “Shane, _Shane_ ,” she moans, throwing her head back. Distantly, through the rush of blood in his ears and the sound of his own breathing, he can hear the smack of his hips against Mari’s ass. 

Mari let’s Shane go, wilting forward, her face pressed into Ryan’s stomach. He watches the both of them, the juxtaposition of Ryan’s climax leaving him soft and pliant, and Mari wound as tight as a bow string. Ryan’s gentle with her, brushing her hair out of her face, but his mouth is filthy, his voice low as he speaks.

“Feel good, baby?” he asks her. “Shane fucks real good, doesn’t he? Gets real deep, makes you desperate. Tell him you love it, Mar. He likes when you tell him how good it feels.”

“Good, good,” she babbles, “feels good.” Her fingers curl into fists in the bedsheets on either side of Ryan’s hips.

Heat settles at the nape of Shane’s neck at Ryan’s words, at the wrecked sounds of Mari’s voice bouncing off the walls. He leans down, crowding over Mari to kiss along her shoulders, her neck, smearing his lips against her cheek. Winding an arm under her, he pulls them upright, she cries out when he strokes in, shallower now.

“Better?” he whispers to her, his lips at the shell of her ear. She doesn’t answer, just whines, tossing her head back against his shoulder. Her spine arches, and Shane presses his hands against her breasts, holding her against him as he fucks into her deep; she sobs a sweet moan.

“That’s it, baby,” Ryan says, lying with his arms behind his head, at the same time Shane says, “You’re such a good girl for me, Mar.”

Ryan sits up, kneeling in front of Mari, touching his hands all over her body. She trembles, calling out Ryan’s name; Shane can feel Ryan’s fingers touch his cock where he strokes inside of her. “Fuck, Ryan,” Shane groans when Ryan grasps at his balls, gripping just before he lets go. Mari wraps an arm around Ryan, and over her shoulder, Ryan leans in to kiss Shane, before pulling away to kiss Mari. 

Shane shudders. 

“Come on, princess,” Ryan says in a voice much too sweet to be anything other than sexually condescending. Mari shivers. “Let Shane feel you come all over him. Be a good girl for him, baby.”

“I am, I am, I— _oh_ —”

When Mari comes, she does with the entirety of her body, shaking from her knees to her shoulders, gasping against Ryan’s mouth. She reaches one hand to grip Shane’s hip as her hips undulate quickly, grinding back against him. He fucks her through it, listens to her chant his name. She wilts against Ryan, and Ryan holds her; Shane pauses, settling deep inside of her as he smooths his hands down her back.

“You okay, Mar?” Shane asks her. 

Mari moans softly, says, “Yeah, yeah, fuck,” and nods where her head is tucked into Ryan’s throat. She pushes her hips back against him and her thighs tremble; she whines. 

“Okay, let me just—” He pulls out of her and she sighs, letting go of Ryan to turn and face Shane. She touches her hands to his cheeks, bringing him down for a kiss. Hot spikes burn low in his belly as she wraps her fingers around him. 

“Look at you, Shane,” she says to him. “Good with your mouth, good with your cock. And to think, Ryan’s been keeping you all to himself.” 

Shane can hear Ryan’s soft snicker, and he bites down on his bottom lip. She keeps his gaze as she jerks him off, her quick rhythm hurtling him close to the edge.

“You lay down,” Ryan tells her, pulling her away from Shane. With a quick kiss to Shane’s mouth, she goes, rescinding the tight fist of her hand. Shane watches as she settles against the bedsheets. “You too,” he tells Shane, grabbing Shane by the hip.

Taking a deep breath, Shane lies next to Mari’s body, up against the pillows, and she curls into him, resting a hand onto Shane’s chest. Between his legs, Ryan lays his body down. He kisses over Shane’s thighs, licking over his balls before dragging his tongue long and broad up the length of Shane’s cock.

“Oh, babe,” Mari says, her voice soft, breathy. She scratches her nails against Shane’s chest and Shane groans, looking down at Ryan, taking him in so easily, lips stretched around him as he sucks. “Bet you like being on your knees, huh, just taking Shane down your throat. So greedy for it.”

“Fuck, _Ryan_ ,” Shane mumbles, gripping his fingers around Mari’s thigh, his other hand shoved into Ryan’s hair.

“You gonna make him come, Ry? Gonna be good and let him shoot off in your mouth?” Mari continues.

“ _Mari_ , Jesus,” Shane groans, and Mari huffs a breath against his shoulder. Her fingers are soft against his jaw as he coaxes him into a kiss. He breathes into her mouth, sucks on her tongue, and heat builds in his belly, striking hot and deep, concentrated until he groans Ryan’s name, clutching his fingers into Ryan’s hair. He comes, hips lifting off the bed to get deeper into Ryan’s mouth.

Ryan coughs, pulling off of him, jerking him quickly, with a tight grip as he drips out the rest of his come. It rolls through him, heat bleeding through his body as his brain fogs with the overwhelming touch of Mari and Ryan all over him. His legs shake and his brain flickers on and off before managing to stay on. 

With a trail of kisses, Ryan climbs up Shane’s body, but he doesn’t reach for Shane; Ryan kisses Mari, and she moans, licking into Ryan’s mouth like she’s chasing a taste. Watching it makes Shane’s brain shut all the way down. He just logs the fuck off when she pulls back and licks away Shane’s come from the corner of Ryan’s mouth.

“Goddamn, you guys,” Shane grumbles, leaning back, keeping his eyes on them, before they break apart. Mari settles back down next to Shane, lying against his shoulder, and Ryan settles between Shane’s legs, resting his body against Shane’s belly. Ryan crosses his forearms underneath Shane’s chest. 

Shane runs his fingers through Ryan’s hair, rubbing his hand over Ryan’s sweaty back. Mari takes Shane’s hand in hers, and he brings her knuckles to his mouth to give them a kiss. 

“Well, that was something,” Mari says, giggling. She extracts herself from Shane’s side, leaning over to give Ryan a kiss.

Shane watches as she stands, stretching her body; an echo of this morning. She leaves the bedroom without saying anything.

“Fuck, man,” Ryan says, pressing kisses into Shane’s stomach. “I love you so fuckin’ much.”

“Love you, too, baby,” Shane says. “Come here.”

“You looked so good with her, you know?” Ryan mumbles against his mouth, sitting astride Shane’s hips. “I fuckin’ loved it.”

“Yeah?” Shane breathes.

“Yeah.” Ryan pulls back. “What about you?”

“What about me?” Shane asks.

“How do you feel? Like—is this—do you want, like, us?”

Shane smiles, touching his hand to Ryan’s cheek. “I wanted you both before this, just so you know. It’s nice to know we’re all sexually compatible.”

Ryan grins.

“How’re my boys? Hungry? I’m hungry.” Mari bounces on the bed, settling herself between Shane and Ryan as she straddles Shane’s stomach. “How are you?” she asks, looking down at him. “How is he?” She looks at Ryan.

“I’m good, Mar,” Shane says, laughing softly as he slides his hand over her thigh. “Cross my heart.”

Mari’s green eyes glimmer; she smiles at him. “So, this—the three of us—”

“Hey, hey,” Shane says lightly. “Honestly, guys. I’m fine. I want—I’d like to explore this some more.”

“Good!” Mari says, leaning forward to press a kiss to the corner of Shane’s mouth. “We have a Ryan-less date on Friday. Just to get comfy, yeah? And then I planned a nice dinner on Saturday for the three of us.”

“Oh, really?” Ryan says from behind her, winding his arms around her waist, smashing a kiss to her cheek.

“Yeah, really. I knew Shane would adore me, how could he not?” she says, preening.

Shane laughs, and he feels good, a little at home underneath Ryan and Mari, with the both of them looking down at him like he hung the moon.

“Think we’ll all fit in the shower?” Ryan says, and both Mari and Shane laugh.

“You guys go ahead,” Mari says. “I’m gonna get started on something to eat. I’ll jump in when you guys get out.”

“Nah, ladies first, baby,” Ryan says easily. “We’ll be here when you get back.”

Mari rubs a hand against Shane’s shoulder and she’s careful to climb off, easing herself off the bed and into the hallway. Ryan falls forward, catching himself against his palms. Shane touches his hands to Ryan’s waist. 

“She’ll be stoked if we make her something to eat,” Ryan says with a soft smile.

“Why me?” Shane asks. “She’s perfect. Why wouldn’t you want to keep her to yourself?”

Ryan frowns. “Why would I do that, when I can see the way you look at her. And _look_ _at her_. She’s—she wants you, too. And if it works, why not?”

Shane takes a deep breath. “I feel like I’m going to wake up and this was some elaborate dream my subconscious conjured to torture me.”

“Relax, Shane. This is us now. Me, you, and Mar.”

“This is us now,” Shane echoes. “Alright.”

“Good?”

“Yeah, good,” Shane decides, smiling. Ryan beams at him. 

Definitely good.

“Okay, come on, before she gets out.” Ryan rolls off of Shane, but not before Shane can drag him back, just for a quick kiss.

Eventually, they do get out of bed, pulling on sleep pants to be semi-decent in their post-sex haze. Ryan leans against the counter, nursing a beer as Shane makes them all quesadillas. Mari walks in, wearing tiny sleep shorts and one of Shane’s t-shirts—it’s one he hasn’t worn yet, so he knows for sure she’s plucked it from his suitcase. 

“Oh, you guys decided to be useful, huh?” she teases, taking Ryan’s beer from him and swapping it for a kiss, before she leans on her toes to press a kiss to Shane’s cheek. He has to bend his knees so it lands right. 

They eat triangle shaped quesadilla slices, trading off the same bottle of beer to wash it down. There’s a lot of laughing, a lot of touching. There always has been, but instead of watching two people laughing about an inside joke, he’s in on it, too. 

Later, after Ryan and Shane have taken their own turns in the shower, Ryan tries calling for the middle spot on the bed, even though Mari points out that he got to sleep in the middle last night. 

Shane makes the decision for them by stretching out in the middle of the bed.

“But just this once,” he says, closing his eyes. “I hate sleeping in the middle.” 

**Author's Note:**

> [jess voice] you know what is fun is that they don't drink the tequila
> 
> thanks for reading <3! [tumblr.](https://uneventfulhouses.tumblr.com/)


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